# Using an SSH agent to avoid typing your password

### Do not use this tutorial until you make a unix account accessible via public key authentication following this tutorial.

Not only is typing your passphrase once convenient, you can make your password very complicated and only ever type an easy to remember passphrase to access all your accounts.

- Unix
  - At the shell
  - Any Window Manager
  - Gnome
  - KDE
- MacOS X
- Windows

## At the shell

At any time, you can type
`ssh-agent /bin/ksh
ssh-add $HOME/private_key.rsa
`
(you can replace `/bin/ksh` by your favorite shell). Any command issued from then on that uses `ssh` to interact with a server that hosts your public key (e.g. `ssh, sshfs, rsync`) will not require a password e.g.
`home_pc$ ssh-agent /bin/ksh
home_pc$ ssh-add $HOME/public_key.rsa
Enter passphrase for /home/user/public_key.rsa:
Identity added: /home/user/public_key.rsa (/home/user/public_key.rsa)
home_pc$ ssh miku.freeshell.org
miku$`

## Any Window Manager

Arrange to have
`ssh-add $HOME/private_key.rsa`
run at login (e.g. via $HOME/.xinitrc or as a "Startup Application in Gnome/KDE"). You should get a popup asking for your passphrase.

## Gnome

## KDE

## Mac OS X

## Windows

You may have to change your openssh formatted private key to PuTTY's .ppk format via PuTTYgen.
$Id: agent.html,v 1.3 2011/09/11 13:31:10 jbaber Exp $